


I Wear Your Grandma's Clothes

by Rionaa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Neville's Boggart, Not Snape Friendly, Protective Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin is a n g e r y
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 14:27:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20427464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa
Summary: After finding out that one of his student's worst fears is another teacher, Remus Lupin confronts Snape.





	I Wear Your Grandma's Clothes

**Author's Note:**

> Severus Snape is a butt trumpet

"Severus."

Snape looks up from his plate of rice pudding, his perpetual scowl alighting upon the figure of Remus Lupin, standing in front of the high table with his arms folded, his face inscrutable.

"Lupin." He replied, after a measured pause.

"Might I trouble you for a private word?"

"Of course." He put down his spoon, pushed back his chair and rounded the table, mirroring Lupin's pose. "Your office or mine?"

"Mine, I think, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, professor," he sneered, "after all, it's not like I have anything better to do with my time on a week night, with a pile of 6th year essays to mark."

"It won't take long." Lupin promised, and turned, striding down the hall. Snape followed him, finding to his irritation that Lupin's longer legs meant that he was hurrying to catch up, his robes billowing out behind him.

At last, they arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Snape followed Lupin inside and closed the door, sliding the bolt across for good measure.

"What's this about, Lupin?" He asked, his voice flat and emotionless. Raising his eyes to look at Lupin, he was surprised and slightly alarmed to see that the usual calm and pleasant expression had been replaced by barely contained fury.

“What this is about, Snape, is one of my third years.”

Severus raised one eyebrow. “A student?”

“Yes. Today, I was teaching them about boggarts, and a certain child, when placed in front of the creature, caused it to take the shape of, well, of you.”

Severus sniffed and turned away slightly. “What of it?”

“The fact that this young boy’s worst fear in the world is you, his teacher, does that not shock you, shame you, even?”

If Severus felt a tiny pang of guilt, he quickly suppressed it. “Yes, well, Potter is an arrogant, ignorant brat. He deserves it.”

“Are you really so self centred that you think Harry’s worst fear is you? That boy has bigger problems to worry about than bullying, no matter how harsh or from whom it comes. No, I’m talking about Longbottom. Young Neville is so quiet and shy, surely there is nothing he could have done to deserve such a reaction.”

“The boy is fat, lazy, untalented, slow witted, clumsy, and he never makes an effort in class. It’s not my fault if he takes criticism too hard. He shouldn’t be so sensitive.”

Lupin almost screamed in exasperation. “That is not the point. Of course I am not against discipline where it is justified, but I cannot see how discipline to this degree is necessary, or useful.”

Severus turned up his nose. "I don't treat Longbottom any differently than any of the other students who I feel could be doing better in my classes."

"Well, maybe that's another thing you should consider. Children, especially at this age, don't respond well to fear tactics. You should be encouraging them to learn, nurturing talent, not punishing lack of it."

Severus sneered. "What, so you're trying to turn me into a pussycat? I don't think that would have the desired effect you seek, and I would lose the respect I already have."

Lupin's face was twisted into a snarl, and for the first time during the conversation, Severus felt a little afraid as he remembered that his colleague was more of a beast than he was, in a very real sense. He wondered how long it was until the next full moon. 

"You don't have their respect to begin with, Snape," Lupin spat his name as though it were deadly venom, "and you will never have mine." Lupin's wand was suddenly in his hand. Severus' eyes widened and he reached for his own, but before he could draw it, he found himself flying backwards out of the door, which closed with a bang as he hit the corridor wall. 

Picking himself up and dusting himself down, he was humiliated to find himself wearing what seemed to be a long green dress and half a dead animal around his neck. Looking up, he let out a reedy scream as he spied a huge bird on his head. 

Wracking his brains, he identified it as the vulture hat he had seen on Augusta Longbottom's head on a number of occasions. Horrified, it dawned on him what must have happened. This must have been the result of Longbottom casting Riddikulus on the boggart Snape. And now Lupin had transfigured his robes to match. 

A sudden clicking sound behind him made him freeze before slowly turning around. One of the Gryffindor second years, Carver or whatever his name was, was standing there with a camera, looking utterly delighted. As soon as he met Severus' glare, his eyes went comically wide, and he turned and fled. Severus made to pursue, but tripped on the hem of his dress. 

A snicker from behind him made him whirl around. A group of sixth year Ravenclaws stood there, laughing at him! Face flushed red with anger and humiliation, Severus pushed through the group and fled back through the castle to his study, to change into his own robes and lick his wounds. He didn't hold much hope that the photos wouldn't be all over the school by morning.


End file.
